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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1966-81 Association Appeal Letters _ \ . v v . - - ♦ ♦ ♦ THE OAK BROOK LIBRARY 1200 OAK BROOK ROAD OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS VILLAGE HALL • • • • December 1, 1966 • Dear Neighbor: • • The past year has been an eventful one for the Oak Brook Library, and I would • like to share with you some of my thoughts about our library for its present and future. •• In 1960 there was no Public Library in Oak Brook. It existed as just an idea in ♦ the minds of a few - a very few - of the community leaders who had lived here ♦ perhaps a dozen years or more, and could see by all the obvious signs that Oak • Brook was destined to grow from picturesque rural exurbia to a large, prosperous, • and sophisticated independent suburb. We now have well stocked library shelves ♦ offering approximately 3,500 carefully cataloged volumes to all who may care to ` browse or borrow. Yet our population has just been tabulated at 2,500 people, and library authorities tell us that a community of less than 3,000 population • will not support a library successfully! How can we explain such apparent con- ♦ tradiction? ♦ • Well, the answer is not difficult to find, if one knows Oak Brook. In the first S place, I think, we must recognize that the kind of people who want and would ` start a library have always been in Oak Brook. Their personal interest in books leads them to want others to share the pleasure that reading can bring. And • they are active people, used to getting things done, through the Civic Associa- • tion and other community groups. ♦ • Secondly, they respond warmly to appeals for help from their neighbors, who may ♦ be involved in a worthwhile program of benefit to the entire area. In the case ♦ of the Library, this help has come in the form of gifts of books, of funds, and ♦ of labor. All have been gratefully appreciated. ♦ An outstanding gift during the past year came voluntarily from the Oak Brook Firemen's Benefit Fund - $3,000, which was part of the earnings of the 1965 ♦ Horse Show, sponsored annually by the Firemen's Association, and normally used • to finance a reserve for any personal emergency suffered by a fireman injured • in the line of duty. • This generous gift enabled us to purchase additional book shelving and card cat- alog,, equipment, as well as permitting us to engage the services of a summertime librarian so that the library could be open every day. Encouraged by the re- sponse of the community to our summertime hours, and wishing to make the Library more available, the Library Board at the November meeting established new hours for the Library, as follows: • • Monday through Friday - 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. ♦ Saturday - 9 A.M. to 5 P.H. ♦ / _ �► _ _ ''rte' '.V' '''/�' N v v ,t/ .1/V ` ♦ ♦ ♦ • How can we do it? We can't - BUT YOU CAN. Our financial resources still will • not permit having a trained librarian on duty, but volunteers will be at the s Library, ready to be of assistance , on Thursday mornings and Saturday afternoons ; lk but THE LIBRARY WILL BE OPEN ALL WEEK - and you are urged to come in and borrow and return books, in accordance with the directions displayed at the library ♦ desk. Entrance to the library will be through the Police Department. Library • borrower's cards are still $1.00 for adults and 50 for children up to high school age. Admittedly, a "self-service' library is an experiment - but maybe ♦ we'll start a trend! • �i nt that both the Libraryand the need for it will grow, as Oak1! ♦ We are confident ♦ Brook grows, and your interest and support will remain a vital necessity. Let me urge you therefore to renew your membership in the Oak Brook Library Associa- ♦ tion - or if you are a newcomer, join with us now - and again show your faith • in our venture in community service and your belief in the value and pleasure ♦ that lies in books. ♦ With the kindest of wishes to all our friends for a joyous Holiday Season, I am ♦ • Most sincerely yours, • • ,04 oseyfle 74E4gOlr • • ♦ Erwin B. Bahnsen, President • Oak Brook Library Association ♦ ♦ Oak Brook Library Association Oak Brook, Illinois Name 1 Address 1 Telephone No. Date • • ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION 1967 (tax deductible) $10.00 •♦ Checks should be made payable to 'Oak Brook Library Association'. ♦ Please send to: Mrs. Wilson Connell, Jr. , Treasurer, 111 Glendale Rd. Oak Brook ♦ OAK BROOK LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 1200 OAK BROOK ROAD OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS December, 1967 Dear Neighbor: During the past year our Library has become firmly established in the hearts and minds of Oak Brook residents. It is no longer the 'new' Library, but has now become 'the' Library - an ongoing village service that we take for granted. This is as it should be. It is what those of us who helped to start the Library hoped would happen. And it has happened quickly. Take for example one of our sister villages to the south that existed for almost sixty years without a library. Then finally in a burst of enthusiasm a fine library has been established. But only recently. Now, this is not the Oak Brook way. In our village we plan ahead. Our fire department, our village government, even our police department were started by volunteers who anticipated growth. So it was with the Library. Would you believe it is only six years old? The "volunteers for the Library" have given generously of their time, their wisdom, and their treasure to make this possible. Many gifts of books and money have been thoughtfully contributed, and of course the hours and hours of devoted service by the "volunteer" librarians can never be fully recognized. The satis- faction of a job well done must suffice in lieu of compensation or adequate praise. To make the Library available at all normal hours during the entire week, your Board has adopted the 'honor system' . The doors are open from nine to nine each week day, and from nine to four on Saturday. The Library operates without supervision during most of these hours, although there are volunteers on duty Wednesday morning and Saturday afternoon who can help with any special problem. Otherwise, all who borrow books, do so by self help. Simple instructions are displayed at the charge-out desk, and returned books are put back on the shelves on Wednesdays in the work session. This new system seems to be working quite well . It may be unique. We don't know of any other Library functioning this way. Of course, Oak Brook is unique, we think, but there are those who slyly suggest that it works so well because we are located above the Police Station! I think, however, that if any arch-criminal really wanted to purloin a book, he could probably do so, but no doubt it would weigh so heavily on his conscience that he would ultimately confess - and return the book - and maybe even be converted and become a loyal member of the Oak Brook Library Association. You guessed it. That's what this letter is all about. It's time once again to renew your membership (or to become a member, if you've recently moved to Oak Brook) . For the amazingly small sum of $10.00 you can be a contributing member for a full year, and share a vital role in sponsoring the "think center" of Oak Brook. Of course, your gift is tax deductible - and this yearly appeal is the sole source of revenue for the Library (we' re a non-tax supported, not-for-profit organization) . Larger gifts will help us to have the courage again to plan ahead for the day when the Library must have its own building. Won't you please fill out and return the membership form attached to this letter? And do it soon. Since y, 4 Erwin Bahnsen, President Oak Brook Library Association Oak Brook, Illinois Name Address Telephone No. Date ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION 1968 (tax deductible) $10.00 CH,-c' _>hoild be made payable to "Oak Brook Library Association". nc Mrs. 4/i Ison Conncl I , Jr. , Treasurer, Ill Glendale Rcr...d, Oak Rro: k ff 1; YM 'fie OAK BROO d R • SOCIATION ♦ 1204 0 ROAD • ♦ 041915ROO : IL NOIS •• sir • ♦ December, 1968 • Dear Neighbor: • • This has been a very good year for our Oak Brook Library. We have • continued to grow in many ways. Especially gratifying to your Board of Trustees has been the steady increase in acceptance and use of the Library ` by the people of Oak Brook, both young and old. Nothing could please us • • more. • Then, of course, we have added to our possessions in a substantial ♦ way. In addition to the books which have been given to us this year by • friends of the Library, we have purchased approximately two hundred new volumes, best sellers in fiction as well as current new and important ♦ non-fiction. We are continuing to buy books for children, and this is an ♦ area which will be expanding even more as our population grows. • 1 The Women's Club of Oak Brook was the donor of our new outdoor sign, ♦ so newcomers can quickly find our location in the civic center of the village. We participated in the Keith Line Horse Show, and while the proceeds are not yet available, we 've been assured that they will make a substantial and • • welcome addition to our building fund. . 5 And now the time has come again for all of us who have been members • of the Library Association to renew our membership, and for those who are new to the communityto ♦ join us in our support of this unique library which ♦ depends entirely on the generosity of its friends for its support. A member- ship blank is enclosed with this letter. Please return it soon, and note that your gift is tax deductible. • We still need and will welcome volunteers to help us in our work program I.!' every Wednesday morning from 9:30 a.m. until noon - we look forward to seeing you there - no experience needed. ♦ • Yours sincerely, • • 411:/1164,....A-4-AammuL1 President • • • 4/ • • il,:h'',- , ''' , f' 4, OAK BRO �'.RARY • ; OCIATION • IJAX BROeM ILL OIS • • • • • December, 1969 • • Dear Neighbor: • • This past year our Library has come through some trying times and — there were those who seriously wondered if it might have the strength • to survive. Fortunately, however, the dedicated people who have been • loyal volunteers since its beginning in 1962 were able to weather the • storm and we are pleased to say that although our space is smaller, we • are in some respects in better shape than ever before. • You will probably remember that last Spring because the Village • Board wished to provide an office suite for the new Village Adminis • - trator and the Village Clerk, the Library quarters were sharply reduced • and all the careful work of the past several years, representing thous- • ands of hours of volunteer work, was completely disrupted. The alter • - ations, though basically simple, seemed to consume the entire summer. Not until Fall were we able to restore some semblance of order. Thus, • our entire summer program of story hours and other vacation activities • had to be cancelled. The books were scattered helter skelter and all • of them had to be dusted and reshelved to coincide with the new arrange- • ment of stacks. ` Despite this interruption, our readers continued to increase in ` number and this • year for the first time we have been aware that high • school students have been using our reference books for their research on term papers and similar projects. Some of us have predicted that • this would occur, and when it did, would mark a real milestone in com- • munity acceptance. This fact alone makes all the hours of planning, • organizing, cataloging and fund raising, as well as the ever present • hopes and fears, well worthwhile. ` We now have an attractive library; small, but first rate. We can ` survive adversity, and bounce back. We can make more friends and serve • more people. We can begin to grow, and anticipate the future. Several • suggestions have been made by the Plan Commission and other of our well- " • wishers about larger quarters. Our Board has not reached any firm con- • clusions about our future, but the matter is being given serious thought. Planning is the next step. ` Now, of course, any growth process will require more funds - and in a voluntary organization, the funds must come primarily from membership. And so, the time is here again for us to renew our memberships and restate our belief in the future effectiveness of the Library; and for our neigh- bors and new-found friends, who believe as we do, to join us in individual support of the only Library we know that operates on the honor system, entirely supported by voluntary contributions. A membership blank is attached to this letter. Please return it soon, and note that your gift is tax deductible. If you would like to meet some interesting people, and if you enjoy "book talk", come help the volunteer librarians in their work sessions each Wednesday morning from 9:30 A.M. until noon. Sincerely yours, Erwin B. Bahnsen President * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * ** * * * * * * * OAK BROOK LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Name Address Phone No, Date ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION 1970 (tax deductible) $10.00 Please make checks payable to "Oak Brook Library Association" and send to: Mrs. William Forest, Treasurer 38 Woodside Oak Brook, Ill. 60521 OAK BRO 1' RA, Y OCIATION 1 Cis n X41 •ttarBIZO♦+ ILLI OIS December, 1971 Dear Oak Brook Friends: The past year marked an eventful advance for the Oak Brook Library. After 10 years of diligent effort by volunteers of the Library Association to establish and promote a complete Library Service for the Oak Brook community, the village administration has absorbed the operation of the Library. A Librarian has been appointed for full time service during library hours. Therefore every Oak Brook resident can derive greater benefits from the library by broadening horizons and obtaining information. The function of the Library Association is more important than ever and the continued help of all is necessary. The Village of Oak Brook has a limited budget to provide the Library staff and protect our property. The Library Association will provide funds to expand the service and book inventory. You are invited to visit the library and meet Mrs. Joanne Fritter, the Librarian. Hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. , Monday through Saturday and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday and Thursday evenings. Library cards will be free. Your suggestions for book purchases are welcome. Many editions for young and old have already been added. This Library is destined to be the pride of the Oak Brook community. You are an important part in our support system concept to "make it happen". Annual, deductiblemembership fees are $10. 00. Sincerely, 411cie‘,01•71.4Luni,_ Erwin B. Bahnsen President Name Date Address Membership fee of $10.00 Enclosed Payable to: Oak Brook Library Association 1200 Oak Brook Road Oak Brook, Illinois 60521 Phone: 323-9113 OAK BRO• K LI RARY ASSOCIATION 1200 OAK BROOKOAD OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS 60521 December 1972 Dear Neighbor: The Oak Brook Library has operated as a village function for well over one year. Costs for staff, supplies and maintenance are borne by the village administration. Expansion of the book collection and equipment are provided for by the Library Association. The library has been open daily, Mon.-Sat., 10 to 5. Results have been gratifying. Service has vastly improved with the help of our experienced librarian. Many more excellent books for young and old and for all needs are available. Circulation has increased 300%. The number of borrowers has doubled. To sustain this momentum and to serve you and the Oak Brook Community better without taxation, your help is needed more than ever. Individual membership in the Library Association is $10.00 per year. Please give us your support. Since ly, 044041:00‘ Erwin B. Bahnsen, President. Oak Brook Library Association 1200 Oak Brook Road-Oak Brook, Ill. 60521 Name: Address: $$10.00 membership tee enclosed: Donation: Comments: : ry • OAK BROOK RY ♦• 1200 OAK BROOK '.• D ♦ OAK Bggok ILLINOS50521 ♦ • • • iv e. - January 1974 ♦ • • • A Happy 1974 to our Oak Brook Library Friends: ♦ • • For the New Year we also have good tidings, - the library has now --- ♦ become a member of the Du Page Library System after years of • delay because of tax law interpretation. ♦ • This membership increases the services available to our library Z users tremendously. All material from a large number of member • libraries can now be attained. The many efforts of dedicated S. volunteers to establish a library second to none have therefore ♦ been fruitful. S. • To maintain this membership will require sustained efforts. There • are performance standards to meet. S. • The Village of Oak Brook is doing a commendable job in providing ♦ our library staff and maintaining our facilities. The Library , Association anticipates large expenditures in necessary building ♦ renovation when the entire present Village Hall will be available ♦ for the Oak Brook Library. • • May we ask for your continued help and membership in the Library • Association for 1974? • • Sincerely, ♦ • • Erwin B. Bahnsen ♦ President ♦ • • Name: Address: • • $10.00 Membership Fee Enclosed: Other Donation: • • Comments: ♦ { 4 OAK BR• 414: ". 'F h8 SOCIATION 12,e AD w• • tLI `•IS d n } . January 1976 Dear Neighbors: The past year has brought another new dimension to the Oak Brook Library. The tremendous and steady increase in use of the library, as evidenced by circulation and number of cardholders,indicates that nearly all Oak Brook residents are now familiar with our service to the community. • The early volunteer efforts have paid off. The full service library program by the village administration has paid off. The profits belong to you, - the village residents. Last September the library was moved to temporary quarters in the new village hall. Many of you have helped and we are very grateful. In April we expect to S move back into a fully rebuilt, beautiful, large and efficient library • facility in the entire old village hail. • At that time it will become necessary to vastly expand book acquisition to meet minimum standards, to establish a record library and to increase audio- visual, reference and business services. To accomplish this goal we need your • membership contrbution to the Oak Brook Library Association. • • We urgently ask you to renew or start your membership. Be a "Friend of the • Library". The annual fee is still $10.00. We need your help. Remember, -it ` pays off. Sincerely, • mit51:14.4741110a---_ ` Erwin B. 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